Method for manufacturing large ceramic co-fired articles

ABSTRACT

A method of forming one or more high temperature co-fired ceramic articles, comprising the steps of: —a) forming ( 34 ) a plurality of green compacts, by a process comprising dry pressing a powder comprising ceramic and organic binder to form a green compact; b) disposing ( 38 ) a conductor or conductor precursor to at least one surface of at least one of the plurality of green compacts to form at least one patterned green compact; c) assembling the at least one patterned green compact with one or more of the plurality of green compacts or patterned green compacts or both to form a laminated assembly; d) isostatically ( 40 ) pressing the laminated assembly to form a pressed laminated assembly; e) firing ( 42 ) the pressed laminated assembly at a temperature sufficient to sinter the ceramic layers together.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an improved high temperature co-firedceramic (HTCC) processing method capable of producing large sizemultilayer ceramic devices. A typical application would be in themanufacture of wafer heating and electrostatic static chuck apparatusused in the manufacture of semiconductors.

BACKGROUND ART

Many fields of technology require large ceramic bodies having embeddedelectrical conductors. As a non-limitative example, in semiconductormanufacturing processes, a wafer heating or chucking apparatus may beused. In the processing of semiconductor wafers or displays, a substratesupport is used to retain the substrate during a particularmanufacturing process such as during chip manufacturing process. Thesubstrate support is commonly known in the art as an electrostatic chuck(ESC) because it electrostatically clamps onto the substrate, e.g.semiconductor wafer during a manufacturing process such as in a physicalvapour deposition (PVD), chemical vapour deposition (CVD) processingsystem and etching system. In the substrate processing equipment, theelectrostatic chuck may be detachably secured to a pedestal within theprocess chamber that is capable of raising and lowering the height ofthe ESC and substrate. The temperature of the ESC can also be controlledto heat or cool the substrate material. Such apparatus is typically adisk-shaped part located inside the processing chambers of CVD, PVD,etch or hot ion-implant devices. ESC rely on the attraction of oppositecharges to hold both the insulating and conducting substrates andtypically include one or more electrodes embedded within a chuck body soas to create a top dielectric layer or semi-conductive material. Thechuck body also comprises a second layer below the dielectric layer,also referred to as an insulating base and is typically made from aninsulating material.

When a voltage is applied to the electrodes an electrostatic clampingfield is generated across the dielectric layer. The gripping forcebetween the substrate and the ESC is proportional to the dielectricproperties of the dielectric layer, in particular to the thickness ofthe dielectric layer. Other influential factors include the gap sizebetween the substrate and the ESC. Thus, it is essential in themanufacture of the ESC that the dimensions of the ESC, in particular tothe thickness of the dielectric layer is not only made to very tightdimensional tolerances but also made substantially flat to maximize thecontact surface area between the substrate and the clamping surface ofthe ESC. Since semiconductor wafers are manufactured to very tighttolerances, any warping or unevenness in the clamping surface of the ESCwould be highly undesirable and in an extreme case could even damage thesemiconductor wafers.

Other problems encountered in the manufacture of ESCs is the differencein thermal expansion coefficient between the ceramic insulating materialand the metal electrodes resulting in stress and eventual crackingwithin the ESC body when the ESC is operated at high temperatures orthermal cycling. To overcome such differences in the thermal expansion,the ceramic insulating chuck may be made thicker to provide thenecessary strength and prevent fracture during thermal cycling.

In recent years the size of Si wafer has increased from 200 to 300 mm,and use of 450 mm wafers is predicted in the market in the near future.As wafer size increases, the size of heater and electrostatic chuck tohandle wafers also increases, and this larger size is a challenge to themanufacturing of wafer handling devices.

In recent years, hot ion-implantation has created more attention due toits advantage of defect free doping which increase the deviceperformance (for example FinFET). However, high temperature heaters(e.g. to 600° C.) are needed for hot ion-implantation. Some of thecurrent wafer heating and chucking apparatus, using glass or lowtemperature metal bonding, are not able to handle this high temperaturerequirement.

An improved heater and electrostatic chuck manufacturing method isneeded to provide devices capable of meeting the high temperaturerequirements for hot ion-implantation; but the invention is of widerapplicability.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,225,606 (Hideyoshi Tsuruta et al) describes a method ofmanufacturing heaters for wafer processing. Metal mesh made frommaterials such as Molybdenum (Mo) is often used as a heating element.The mesh is placed in a die and embedded in ceramic which fills thevoids in the mesh in a hot pressing step. However, the cost of hotpressing is high in comparison with pressureless sintering methods; inaddition, the pressure tends to break the metal mesh inside the die.Further provision of mesh conductor results in a perforated conductorthat needs to be of broader width than an unperforated conductor of likecurrent carrying cross sectional area need to be.

In addition, in the hot pressing method it is difficult to producecertain features such as hollow cooling channels or blind holes;therefore there is a need to develop a cost effective manufacturingmethod for wafer heating and chucking devices.

High temperature co-fired ceramic (HTCC) is a processing methodconventionally used to produce small electronic packages and heaters.Co-fired ceramic devices are made by processing a number of layers(green tape) independently before assembling them into a device as afinal step. Co-fired devices may comprise multilayers of ceramic (forexample, alumina or aluminum nitride) with metallization of individuallayers (for example with Tungsten or Molybdenum metallizations).Typically co-firing is used for smaller devices [e.g. up to 100 mm].

A problem that becomes evident in making wafer heaters and chucks issize. Green tape of ˜600 mm in width would be needed to produce a devicewide enough for handling a 450 mm wafer. Thick tape (>1 mm) is preferredto reduce the number of layers needed, since the device has fairly thickdimension; e.g. 9 mm and as a rule of thumb, the firing yield for HTCCdevices decreases as the lateral size and number of layers increases.

In high temperature co-firing there are two major tape manufacturingmethods used—the doctor blade method and the roll-compaction method.

In the doctor blade method a slurry of ceramic particles and otheradditives [e.g. binders, dispersants, plasticisers] in a solvent [whichcan be but is not necessarily water] is applied to a moving substrate,and as the substrate moves under the doctor blade the slurry spreads toform and coat a thin sheet over the substrate.

In the roll-compaction method a feedstock comprising ceramic powder andother additives [e.g. binders, dispersants, plasticisers] is forcedthrough two counter-rotating rollers, and is compacted sufficiently toform an adherent tape.

Both methods have problems in producing large and thick tape.

The doctor blade method is difficult to use in producing thick tape dueto the high binder and solvent content of the slurry which has to beremoved in drying and firing. Commercial green tape rarely exceeds 1 mmin thickness and 300 mm in width.

The roll compaction method can produce thick tape but it is difficult toproduce large sizes due to pressure limitation of the roller. Inaddition, roll compaction tape shows non-uniform shrinkage duringsintering. For example, an alumina tape produced by roll-compaction canhave a shrinkage factor of 1.15 along the rolling direction and 1.19perpendicular to the rolling direction due to the pressure differenceduring roll compaction. Non-uniform shrinkage would be a major problemduring the manufacturing of wafer handling devices, due to the precisiondimensional control needed for wafer handling devices.

The present invention addresses these issues and introduces an improvedHTCC processing method to produce large and thick multilayer ceramicdevices, for example a heater and chuck.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The present invention in its broadest aspect consists of forming sheetsby dry pressing powders of the sort conventionally used in rollcompaction and using these sheets to form articles by HTCC processing toa precise thickness and density. The present invention provides a methodof forming one or more high temperature co-fired ceramic articles,comprising the steps of:—

-   -   a) forming a plurality of green compacts, by a process        comprising dry pressing a powder comprising ceramic and organic        binder to form a green compact;    -   b) disposing a conductor or conductor precursor to at least one        surface of at least one of the plurality of green compacts to        form at least one patterned green compact;    -   c) assembling the at least one patterned green compact with one        or more of the plurality of green compacts or patterned green        compacts or both to form a laminated assembly;    -   d) isostatically pressing the laminated assembly to form a        pressed laminated assembly;    -   e) firing the pressed laminated assembly at a temperature        sufficient to sinter the ceramic layers together.

In comparison to roll compaction, dry pressing the ceramic powder formedby powder compaction on uniaxial presses provides more uniformshrinkage, thus making this technique suitable for manufacturingcomponents that not only necessitate a high degree of dimensionaltolerance but can be made to relatively large sizes or diameter, e.g. inthe manufacture of electrostatic chucks. One example of dry pressingaccording to one embodiment of the present invention is uniaxialpressing or die pressing or iso-pressing or a combination thereof.Co-firing the laminated assembly provides seamless bonding between theplurality of green compact so creating a monolithic insulating ceramicbody with one or more electrical conductors embedded therein.

Preferably, the step of disposing a conductor or conductor precursorcomprises the step of applying a metallization layer to at least onesurface of at least one of the plurality of green compacts to form theat least one patterned green compact. Other examples include applying afoil to at least one surface of the green compact or even a conductorprecursor such as a printing ink composed of a metal precursor on thelayers, e.g. ink jet printing, which subsequently converts to a metallicconductor during firing. Where a foil pattern or wires is deposited onthe layers, the application of pressure embeds the foil within the greenceramic layer so as to effectively “mould” the green ceramic around thefoil pattern. To create one more holes or gaps (pathways) in the firedarticle such as for the purpose of providing vias or access areas in thefired part for electrical connection to the conductor or metallizationlayer, preferably step c) further comprises positioning one or moreshapes formed from a fugitive material between at least two of the greencompacts, whether either or both is patterned or not; subsequent to stepd) the fugitive material is removed to leave hollow channels within thearticle. This removes the need to punch or drill one or more holes inthe green and/or fired part respectively and thereby, reducing thenumber of manufacturing steps in the fabrication of the part for use asan electrostatic chuck or heater. The use of a fugitive material toretain internal voids in the fired ceramic part also provides pathwaysor channels for fluid such as air or liquid. In the case, where ESCrequires cooling of the substrate at least one heat transfer fluid loopcan be created within the fired ceramic part so as to generate a heatsink preventing overheating of the substrate.

Since the size or diameter of the semiconductor wafer (e.g. silicon) hasincreased over the years, there is an increasing need for anelectrostatic chuck to accommodate the increasing size of thesemiconductor wafer. By the manufacturing process of the presentinvention, preferably, the fired article have at least one orthogonal Xand Y dimension greater than 200 mm and an orthogonal dimension Z lessthan the X and Y dimensions. More preferably, both orthogonal X and Ydimension are greater than 200 mm. In the manufacture of the dry pressedgreen compact, optionally the powder is a spray dried powder.

Preferably, according to one embodiment of the present invention, theone or more high temperature co-fired ceramic articles can be used inthe manufacture of heaters whereby the conductors function as electricalheating elements. More preferably and/or in combination with a heater,the high temperature co-fired ceramic articles can be used in themanufacture of an electrostatic chuck; said electrostatic chuckcomprising;

an insulating base;a one or more electrically conductive electrodes disposed on saidinsulating base; anda dielectric top layer, having a top surface and an opposite bottomsurface, such that said electrodes are disposed between said insulatingbase and said dielectric top layer.

Once fired, the assembly of the one or more plurality of green compactsor patterned green compacts defines the insulating base. In order tocreate a sufficient electrostatic force to retain one or moresemiconductor wafers without producing a short circuit, it is paramountthat the substrate support forming the dielectric layer is madesufficiently thin to interact with one or more electrodes beneath so asto generate an adequate electrostatic field on the substrate surface.The dielectric layer is formed from a second insulating materiallaminated to the insulating base to prevent a short circuit. Preferably,the dielectric layer has a thickness of substantially less than 1 mm orless than 0.5 mm or less than 0.25 mm, or less than 0.1 mm. As it isnecessary that the thickness of the dielectric layer is thin, in oneembodiment of the present invention, the dielectric layer is optionallyfabricated form a tape cast material. Preferably, to provide uniformityin terms of shrinkage between the dielectric layer and the insulatingbase particularly during debinding and/or firing, preferably thedielectric layer is composed of the same green compact forming theinsulating base. Fabricating the ESC from layers formed by differentprocesses (e.g. tape casting), in particular the dielectric layer, runsthe risk of differential shrinkage between the dielectric layer and theremainder of the insulating ceramic body during debinding or firingwhich could be due to their different binder content, different internalstresses through their particular fabrication process, leading topossible delamination of the dielectric layer from the rest of theinsulating body. By fabricating the dielectric layer from the sameprocessing technique and material as the insulating base, e.g. greencompact, removes this differential shrinkage leading to a morehomogenous fired part. To achieve the necessary thinness of thedielectric layer, once fired one face of the fired (monolithic) part ismachined down to the required thickness necessary to interact with themetallization forming the electrodes embedded therein to create anelectrostatic field when a voltage is applied to the electrodes.

In some applications of the electrostatic chuck, it is necessary tocontrol the temperature of the substrate. Preferably, the insulatingbase comprises a heater, more preferably the heater comprises one ormore electrical conductors forming electrical heating elements embeddedtherein.

In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the hightemperature co-fired ceramic article is a heater comprising aninsulating ceramic body with one or more conductors forming electricalheating elements embedded therein.

When the fired laminated assembly is used as an electrostatic chuck, theexterior surface or face of the co-fired ceramic part would need to besubstantially flat so as to ensure that there is maximum surface areacontact between the substrate wafer and the support surface of thedielectric layer. In order to provide the flatness of the co-firedceramic part, the present invention provides a method of flat firing anarticle comprising the steps of;

a. supporting the article on an insulating setter having at least onesubstantially flat surface;b. mounting or assembling an insulating weight having at least onesubstantially flat surface on the article such that the article liesbetween the substantially flat surface of the insulating setter and theinsulating weight.

Steps (a) and (b) are then fired to the sintering temperature inhydrogen as discussed above. Preferably, the at least one surface of thesetter and/or weight adjacent the article are machined substantiallyflat. By machining at least one face of the setter and/or the weightthat is in contact with the green article substantially flat, the greenarticle will either maintain its flatness or take up the flatness of thesurface of the setter and/or weight during firing. For example, in thelatter case, where the green article, as a result of its forming processsuch as dry pressing or iso-pressing or even handling is not perfectlyflat or has imperfections, by firing the green article betweensubstantially flat surfaces of the setter and the weight, the pressureapplied by the weight causes the article to substantially take up theflatness of the flat surfaces of the setter and/or weight. Moreover, thepressure applied by the weight allows the green ceramic layers to formaround or “mould” around the deposited conductor or metallization layerduring firing and densification so as to create a seamless interfacebetween the green ceramic compact and the patterned green compact.Preferably, the setter and/or weight comprises alumina.

Further details and features of the invention will be apparent from theattached claims and following description made with reference to theaccompany drawings in which.

FIG. 1 illustrates the processing flow chart of the manufacturingprocess to produce the four layer heater generated by dry pressingmethod;

FIG. 2 illustrates the four layer heater after hard grinding and brazingof hard plate;

FIG. 3 illustrates the flow chart for manufacturing of 300 mm diameterheater or ESC for wafer processing;

FIGS. 4(a and b) shows layers of the dry pressed green ceramic sheetswith via holes drilled and screen printed with Mo based heater patternand (b) shows a magnified view of dry pressed green ceramic sheet withmetalized layer and alignment hole;

FIGS. 5(a and b) shows the lamination process for dry pressed thinplates to form an assembly of the dry pressed plates; (a) shows theassembly of dry pressed green ceramic sheets sandwiched between rubberpads; (b) placed inside the vacuum isopress bag;

FIG. 6(a) showing the assembly of dry pressed green sheets placed on aMolybdenum screen during debinding/binder burn-out of the assembly;

FIG. 6(b) shows the flat firing process of the green laminated assemblybetween a setter and weight.

FIG. 6(c) showing the set-up for firing of the dry pressed green ceramicsheets in a wet hydrogen furnace.

FIG. 7 shows the presence of brazed supporting fixtures (e.g. mountingpin) and electrical feedthroughs to the underside of the fired part;

FIG. 8 shows the testing of the heater in a vacuum chamber usingthermocouples attached to the heater and demonstrating a reachedtemperature of 600° C.

FIG. 9 shows a cross-section along the line X-X of the fired part shownin FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 shows the top face of the ground flat fired part forming theESC;

FIG. 11 shows a cross-section of the part along the line Y-Y of theground flat fired part shown in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 showing a void formation in the fired part;

FIG. 13 is a schematic illustration of the heater/ESC apparatus using atape cast material as the dielectric layer.

FIG. 14 is a schematic illustration of the heater/ESC apparatus based onthree dry pressed ceramic compacts.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It is known that the roll compaction process for tape formation startswith spray drying of ceramic powder with organic binder, followed byfeeding the ceramic powder into a roller to produce thin tapes. Thepressing of powder between two rollers results in tape with non-uniformshrinkage in the XY direction. The present invention addresses theseissues by using dry pressing method to produce thin sheets. Examples ofa dry pressing technique include but are not limited to uniaxialpressing, die pressing, isopressing or a combination thereof. Tomaintain flexibility and lamination properties of the thin sheets andfor the purpose of illustration of one example of the present invention,ceramic powders with organic additives similar to those commonly used inthe roll compaction tape formation process are used as the raw materialfor the dry pressing tape.

Depending on the die size of dry presses, green sheets of large diameter(e.g. up to 1 m or more), thickness in the range from 1 mm up to 50 mmcan be produced (as can sheets of thickness less than 1 mm). Such drypressed sheet has good flexibility and is capable of receivingmetallization paint that is screen printed or otherwise applied (e.g.ink jet printing, spray coating, spin coating, dip coating, numericallycontrolled dispensing) to produce large and thick HTCC devices.

Similar to standard tape processing, mechanical punch, waterjet, laseror other means can be used to shape layers and produce via holes in thegreen sheets.

After applying metallization paint, isostatic pressing is used toassemble multiple layers of green tapes and/or dry pressed green sheets.Typical pressures are up to about 103 MPa (15 k psi) but higher pressuremay be used as required. Isostatic pressing not only produces goodlamination between tapes but also ensures a uniform shrinkage of themultilayer tape structure during firing.

To demonstrate the feasibility of the current invention, a batch of99.5% alumina powder was mixed with other inorganics, binder,plasticizer, dispersant and water to form a slurry, and subsequentlyspray dried to form a powder comprising the inorganics, binder,plasticizer, and dispersant.

The composition of the inorganic components of the spray dried powder islisted in Table 1. The alumina powder used was A152 SG from Almatis,Inc, which, form their data sheet, has an average particle size of ˜1.2μm and surface area of ˜4.3 m²/g.

TABLE 1 Magnesium Al₂O₃ carbonate EPK Kaolin Wt percent 99.2% 0.5% 0.3%

The binder can be any suitable material that provides adequate adhesionbetween the inorganic components after dry pressing to give an adherentyet flexible sheet. Typical binders include, for example, acryliclatexes, PVA, alkyd resins, polyethylene glycol, poly(methylmethacrylate), polyvinyl butyral, polyethyl oxazoline, polyacrylates,polyvinyl pyrolidone, cellulose, polyethylene, paraffin, and many more.

The plasticizer can be any suitable material that assists plasticdeformation of the material. This is useful both during the dry pressingstage, and during the isostatic pressing (lamination) stage. Suitablematerials include, for example, glycols, polyethylene glycols, mineraloil, phthalates, esters, benzyl butyl phthalate, polymers similar to thebinder used but of lower molecular weight, and many more.

The dispersant is useful in ensuring that the slurry is well dispersedprior to spray drying so that the spray dried powder has goodhomogeneity. Typical dispersants include, for example, ammoniumpolyacrylate, ammonium citrate, fatty acids, corn oil, fish oil, amines,polyesters, polyamines, pH control substances (for example HCl orNH₄OH), and many more.

Choice of binder, plasticizer (if any), and dispersant (if any) dependsin part on their mutual compatibility achieving desired properties in agreen compact and their behavior in a slurry, if spray drying is theroute used to form the powder.

Typically, the inorganic components comprise over 50% by weight of theslurry, for example about 68%. Typical slurry formulations might be:—

TABLE 2 Wt % in slurry Material Formulation 1 Formulation 2 Inorganics68.2% 68.2% Water 24.0% 28.4% Dispersant  1.1%  0.9% Acrylic binder   0% 1.5% PVA binder  5.5%    0% Plasticiser (polyethylene glycol)  1.2% 0.9%

After spray drying, a portion of the spray dry powder was used togenerate roll compaction tape. The remaining spray dry powder from thesame batch was used to generate dry pressed sheets. The properties of alaminated body formed from roll compacted tape and dry pressed sheet islisted in Table 3.

TABLE 3 Roll compaction tape Dry pressed sheet Shrinkage factor* of tapein 1.14 × 1.17 1.17 × 1.17 the XY direction after about 103 MPa (15kpsi) isostatic pressing and 1600° C. sintering Density# of tape/sheetafter 3.9 g/cc 3.9 g/cc isostatic pressing and sintering *Shrinkagefactor = XY dimensions of green part divided by same dimension ofsintered part #Measured by water replacement (Archimedes).

From the above data, it is clear that the dry pressed sheets has moreuniform shrinkage than that of the roll compaction tape. Both approacheshave achieved nearly full density of the sintered alumina body, but thesuperior uniformity of shrinkage of the dry pressed sheet means thatfeatures may be positioned precisely in the body formed from dry pressedsheet.

While it is not required that the green ceramic starting layer be “tape”as typically used in HTCC (High Temperature Co-Fired Ceramic)processing, typical tape processing can be used for this invention.

The improved HTCC processing method can be used to not only producelarge size wafer processing apparatus for use in a ESC but also can beused to produce a multiplayer heater. The following examples are used todemonstrate the versatility of the improved HTCC processing method:

Example 1

A multilayer heater is produced using the improved HTCC method as ademonstration of feasibility on a small scale.

FIG. 1 illustrates the processing flow chart 1 for manufacturing of afour layer heater.

The process shown uses the spray dried 99.5% pure alumina powdermentioned previously. It should be noted that the present invention isnot restricted to 99.5% alumina and can be used for other ceramics,[e.g. alumina of different purity (for example 90-99.9%), ZrO2, Y₂O₃,AlN, Si₃N₄, SiC, or indeed any ceramic].

At step 2, the spray dry powder is pressed (or uniaxially pressed) in a2″ die to produce thin sheets of about 1.5 mm thickness from the spraydried powder. The dry pressed green sheets is then cut in the greenstate to the desired shape (Step 4), e.g. by laser or water jet cutting.

Following cutting of the green sheets, the shaped dry pressed greensheets are metallized to deposit a metallization layer or metallicprecursor on its surface (Step 6). In the particular embodiment,metallization involves screen printing, but other metallizationtechniques are permissible in the present invention, e.g. ink jetprinting, spraying etc. The use of a metallic precursor enablestechniques such as ink printing to be used. Although a Mo (molybdenum)based metallization is used in the particular embodiment, otherconductive material can be used such as conductive material selectedfrom the group consisting of platinum, palladium, gold, tungsten,molybdenum, niobium, tantalum and alloys of any of the foregoing. Afterscreen printing the dry pressed green sheets with Mo based metallization(Wesgo 538 paint) measures approximately 25 μm in thickness (which afterfiring leads to a metal thickness of ˜20 μm; four layers of the drypressed green sheets are laminated together using a rubber die in anisostatic press at a pressure of 103 MPa (15 kpsi) (Step 8). Also shownin FIG. 1 is the application of a conductive Mo paint to the side or endof the laminated green sheets (Step 10). Step 10 can optionally beperformed after the laminated assembly is co-fired.

After lamination, the pressed assembly of green sheets is sintered orco-fired in an Astro™ furnace using wet H₂ gas to ˜1600° C. at apressure of 1 atm (Step 12) to form a monolithic insulating ceramic bodyhaving one or more electrical conductors embedded therein.

After sintering, the four layer 20 heater is ground to the final shape(Step 16). Prior to machining the fired assembly, the assembly canoptionally be tested at this stage (Step 14) to test the performance ofthe co-fired assembly as a heater 20. Electric contacts are made withthe metallization layers, e.g. by means of vias, and an electric currentis passed through the metallization layers to test the heatingperformance of the heater. In the particular embodiment, electrodes 24(See FIG. 2) are brazed to the exterior surface of the assembly toelectrically connect each of the metallizaed layers. The side of theheater is then brazed using active brazing alloy (Cusil® ABA™) ascontact (Step 18).

A kovar hard plate 26 is brazed on top of the heater using a lowertemperature braze alloy (Incusil®).

FIG. 2 shows the final shape of the brazed heater assembly 20 showing alaminated assembly of layers 22 of the fired dry pressed green compactwith printed heating pattern. Testing of the heater using a power supplysuggested good reliability of heater.

Example 2

The objective of the example is to demonstrate the new HTCC processingmethod can be used to produce large sized wafer processing apparatussuch as heater and electrostatic chuck (ESC) combination orelectrostatic chuck (ESC). The goal is to ensure the 300 mm heater iscapable of thermal cycling between room temperature and 600° C. withgood temperature uniformity.

FIG. 3 illustrates the flowchart of the manufacturing process 30.Similar to example 1, the manufacturing process for a 300 mm waferheating device starts with spray drying of 99.5% pure alumina powderusing the alumina powder (Step 32) as mentioned previously.

The spray dried powder is dry pressed using a 2500 ton dry press(uniaxial press) with an 81 cm diameter die to generate green sheets of81 cm diameter with thickness in the range of about 2.5 mm to 6 mm (Step34). In the particular embodiment where the ESC is used in combinationwith a heater, the combination may be based on assembling three drypressed sheets formed from two outside dry pressed sheets and a centredry pressed sheet. The two outside pressed sheets has a thickness ofabout 5 mm or 6 mm and the centre dry pressed sheet has a thickness ofabout 2.5 mm. Further detail of the arrangement of the dry pressedsheets is discussed below with reference to FIG. 14. FIG. 4(a) shows anexample of a dry pressed green ceramic sheet 50 according to anembodiment of the present invention.

The dry pressed green sheet is then water jet cut to a 30 cm diameterwith alignment holes (some or all of which may serve as lift pin holesin the finished heater) (Step 36) as demonstrated in FIG. 4. Holes 54(see FIG. 4b ) in the dry green sheet also serve as vias that extendfrom the metallization layer to at least one exterior face of the drypressed green sheet in order to provide electrical connection with themetallization layer. The vias and holes are filled with wax or otherfugitive material (or other fugitive material that can be removed inlater processing—see FIG. 4(b)), so that during pressing they do notclose.

Electrode and/or heater patterns is/are screen printed (Step 38) ontoone or more dry pressed green sheets depending on whether the part isbeing fabricated as an ESC part only or a ESC/heater combination. FIG.4(b) shows a magnified portion of the patterned dry pressed green sheetwith metalized layer 52. In the case where the part is being fabricatedas an ESC only, an electrostatic chuck electrode pattern is screenprinted onto the surface of a dry pressed green sheet. However, in thecase where the part is fabricated as an ESC and heater combination, oneoutside dry pressed sheet is screen printed with a heater pattern andanother centre dry pressed sheet is screen printed with an electrostaticchuck electrode pattern. After screen printing the dry pressed greensheet(s) with Mo based paint (Wesgo®538 paint, thickness ˜25 μm) is/arealigned with the two or more layers of dry pressed green sheet, beforevacuum bagged together with a support plate (described below) andlaminated together using an isostatic press at a pressure of about 103MPa (15 kpsi) (Step 40) (FIG. 5). In the particular embodiment of thepresent invention as shown in FIG. 5, the aligned dry pressed sheets aresandwiched between rubber pads 56 (FIG. 5a ) and then placed inside avacuum isopress bag 58 (see FIG. 5b ). The support plate is a plate thatprovides sufficient rigidity so that the aligned dry press green sheetsdo not distort and remain flat during the pressing process. A typicalmaterial for the support plate might be aluminum or alumina platewhereby one surface (support surface) of the alumina plate has beenground flat, but other materials may suffice.

The laminated and isostatically pressed part 60 is placed over Mo andalumina setters 66 and sintered in an Astro™ hydrogen furnace in a wethydrogen atmosphere to 1600° C. at a pressure of 1 atm (FIG. 6c ) toform a monolithic ceramic to metal composite (Step 42). It is paramountin the application of an electrostatic chuck that the outer or exteriorfaces or surfaces of the co-fired ceramic part, in particular thesupport surface of the dielectric layer, remains substantially flatafter firing, otherwise any distortion introduced in the fired articlecould cause indentation to the substrate or semiconductor wafer.Moreover, the flatness of the support surface of the dielectric layerensures maximum surface area contact between the semiconductor wafer andthe support surface of the dielectric layer. To maintain the flatness ofthe fired part or assembly, the dry pressed green laminated assembly 60is sandwiched or lies between an alumina setter 66 and a weight 64during firing—see FIG. 6(b). Like the setters, the weight can also becomposed of alumina so as to ensure that there is no cross contaminationbetween the weight and/or setter and the laminated assembly. To ensurethat the green laminated assembly or part remain flat during firing andto make sure that the surface of the setter or weight adjacent theassembly do not introduce any imperfections to the final co-firedarticle, at least one of the surfaces or faces of the setter and/orweight in contact with or adjacent the green laminated assembly aremachined (ground) flat and possibly, polished flat (see FIG. 6b ). Theweight applies sufficient pressure onto the green laminated assembly toensure a flat firing process. Further advantages of the weight includepreventing delamination of the different layers of the green compactassembly during binder burnout and/or firing. Such a flat firing processdiscussed above ensures that any distortions in the green laminatedassembly as a result of iso-pressing or even handling is removed sincethe exterior face or surfaces of the laminated assembly takes on theshape or flatness of the setter below and the weight above duringfiring.

The firing regime (Step 42) can comprises a slow binder burn out phase,in which the temperature is raised at a rate of 1° C. per minute up to atemperature sufficient to burn off the binder (typically, 275 to 400°C.) followed by ramping up at a rate of about 3° C./minute up to thesintering temperature (typically 1500° C. to 1600° C.) in hydrogen.After 2-3 hours at temperature, the temperature is ramped down (e.g. ata rate of 3° C./minute) to a temperature low enough to remove thesintered parts.

Carrying out binder burn off and sintering in the same furnace providesa one step process, as well as the ability to process multiple samplessimultaneously in the furnace are advantageous over the complexity ofhot pressing. However, alternative processes can be adopted, for exampleconducting the binder burn off and sintering steps in separate furnaces.In some cases, it is advantageous to treat the laminated andisostatically pressed part 60 in separate oven/furnaces because theconditions for debinding and/or binder burn out can be different tofiring. For example, for debinding/binder burn off it is important thatany volatiles generated during binder burnout do not introduce anydefects or flaws in the pressed part, and as a result the set up forbinder burn out is different to firing. For binder burn out it isnecessary to ensure that there is adequate exposure of the entireexterior surface area of the dry pressed sheets for binder removal,since the volatiles generated during binder burnout would need to escapeand be purged. However, since there is limited exposure to the undersideof the dry pressed part as it is resting on the setter 66, a spacer isused to elevate the dry pressed sheet above the setter. This ensuresthat there is sufficient air flow to the underside of the laminated partto promote binder removal (pyrolysis of the binder). In the particularembodiment shown in FIG. 6a , the dry pressed ceramic part 60 is spacedapart from the setter 66 by resting on a Mo screen 62. Such a spacer isnot necessary for firing since a majority of all of the volatiles havebeen removed through the previous binder burnout stage, and the greenpart can simply be placed directly on the setter to ensure flatnessduring firing by the flat firing process as discussed above in relationto Step 42. In some cases, in order to facilitate appropriate materialsand applications of binder burn off, the process may be conducted byplacing the laminated and isostatically pressed part in a bed of ceramicpowder so that the powder “wicks” the binder out of the part.

In the firing process the wax filling the holes melts away leavingaccess points or vias for electrical connection to the metallizationlayer(s) and/or location points for locating the electrostatic chuck ona pedestal in substrate processing.

After densification, the fired parts 68 are hard ground (typically byBlanchard grinding) to the final dimension (Step 44) with an optionalgas groove and various lift-pin holes (through holes for waferejection).

Subsequently, mounting pin and electrical feedthroughs 70 are brazedonto the heater/ESC plate using a high temperature braze (FIG. 7) suchas Cusil® ABA™ as mentioned above) (Step 46). FIG. 7 shows the undersideof the fired part 68 and shows the brazed supporting or mountingfixtures 70.

Co-firing the laminated assembly generates a monolithic insulatingceramic body comprising one or more layers of electrical conductorsprovided by the metallization layers embedded therein. FIG. 9 shows across-section of the fired monolithic ceramic body 68 comprising twometallization layers according to one embodiment of the presentinvention. The lower metallization layer 76 functions as a heater whenconnected to an electrical supply and the top metallization layer 78functions as the electrostatic chuck electrodes which cooperates with atop dielectric layer to generate an electrostatic field. FIG. 9additionally demonstrates the flatness of the top 80 and bottom 82 facesof the insulating ceramic body 68. Also demonstrated in FIG. 9 is theseamless bonding between the different green, dry pressed ceramiccompact layers and the migration of the ceramic between the conductorsin each metallized layer to produce a monolithic insulting ceramic bodyhaving two layers of electrical conductors embedded therein, e.g. thealumina is homogenous throughout the insulating body.

In the embodiment, where the ESC is located on top of a heater as shownin FIG. 9, the heating performance of said heater can be tested usingthe apparatus as shown in FIG. 8. The heater is placed in a vacuumchamber and attached to a power supply to test the performance of theheater (Step 48) using thermocouples 72 placed at different points onthe fired laminated part. Heating up to 600° C. with good thermaluniformity is demonstrated by the temperature display 74 as shown inFIG. 8.

Additional Operations Void Formation

Providing wax (or otherwise) filled holes as described above permits theoptional formation of channels running across the thickness of thearticle. For example, where cooling is required to the electrostaticchuck, one or more channels or voids can be incorporated into theinsulating ceramic body. To produce hollow channels 84 within thethickness of an article made by this method, it is possible to pressshapes formed from a fugitive material between the layers of dry pressedsheet and subsequently burn off or otherwise remove the fugitivematerial.

Materials that can be used include wax, plastics, paper or flexiblegraphite, (e.g. Grafoil™) FIG. 12 shows a section of ceramic having avoid or channel 84 formed in this manner in which flexiblegraphite/paper shapes were placed between layers, and after isostaticpressing removed by oxidation in air or wet hydrogen firing process.

Such hollow channels can be used for a variety of purposes including: toprovide gas supply or extraction channels; for filling with materials[e.g. metals to provide large conductors]; or even providing channelsfor the flow of a heat transfer fluid for cooling purposes.

Dielectric Layer

To generate an electrostatic force across the surface of theelectrostatic chuck, the thickness of the ceramic layer forming thedielectric layer has to be sufficiently flat and thin to withinacceptable tolerances so as to cooperate with the underlying electrodes.

While dry pressing is an excellent way of forming sheets, even ofthickness as low as, for example, 0.25 mm, the thinner the sheet themore problematic is its formation. When it is desired to provide just athin surface layer [e.g. less than 1 mm, less than 0.5 mm, less than0.25 mm, or less than 0.1 mm] for the dielectric layer then laminating alayer of tape cast material over a thicker dry pressed sheet canoptionally be used with advantage. This is particularly so when thelayer of tape cast is less than, for example, half the thickness of thedry pressed sheet or less than a quarter the thickness of the drypressed sheet, or less than a tenth the thickness of the dry pressedsheet. In such an arrangement the uniformity of shrinkage of the drypressed sheet can dominate, or even suppress the lack of uniformity ofshrinkage of the tape cast material.

Such a process can be used to form an electrostatic chuck on top of theheater described in Example 2. For example (as indicated in FIG. 13):—

-   -   1. two dry pressed green sheets 91, 92 (e.g. each of        approximately 1 mm or 2.5 mm or 6 mm thickness) may have Mo        based paint (Wesgo®538 paint, thickness ˜25 μm) to define a        heater pattern 93 on one dry pressed green sheet 91 and an        electrostatic chuck pattern 94 on the other dry pressed green        sheet 92. In the particular embodiment, one of the green dry        pressed sheet has a thickness d₁ of about 6 mm and represents        the outside sheet 91 or layer and another dry pressed sheet has        a thickness d₂ of about 2.5 mm and represented the centre sheet        92.    -   2. The two layers of dry pressed green sheets may be aligned        with a further, thinner d₃ (e.g. 0.1 mm thick), a dielectric        layer 95 in the form of a tape cast layer so that the heater        pattern 93 lies between the two dry pressed sheets 91, 92 and        the electrostatic chuck pattern 94 lies between the dry pressed        green sheet 92 and the tape cast layer 95; suitable holes or        vias 96 in layers 91 and 92 can be provided for subsequent        forming of feedthroughs to the electrostatic chuck pattern and        heater pattern.    -   3. The assembly of two layers of dry pressed green sheet and        tape cast layer can then be vacuum bagged together with a        support plate and laminated together using an isostatic press in        the same manner as described above.

In the case where the dry pressed green sheet has a thickness ofapproximately 6 mm, after firing the fired dry pressed sheet shrinks toa thickness, d₁′, of approximately 5 mm. For the 2.5 mm thickness greendry pressed sheet, after firing the dry pressed sheet shrinks to athickness, d₂′ of approximately 2 mm. Likewise, after firing thethickness of the green tape cast layer shrinks to a smaller thickness,d₃′. In this process, the tape cast layer functions as the dielectriclayer and is an outermost layer of the assembly, but for otherapplications the tape cast layer may lie within the assembly, e.g.between two dry pressed sheets.

Although the tape cast layer is advantageous in producing thin layerswhich is ideal as a dielectric layer since the tape cast layer isfabricated through a different process to a dry pressing process (e.g.uniaxial die pressing), differential shrinkage can result between thetape cast layer and the dry pressed layers during de-binding and/orfiring. This could be due to a combination of the different bindercontent between a dry pressed sheet and a tape cast layer which isinherent in their fabrication process as well to the different internalstresses as a result of their particular processing techniques. As aresult, during de-binding or firing of the green sheets suchdifferential shrinkage can cause the tape cast layer to de-laminate fromthe dry pressed sheets or even crack.

To mitigate this problem, in an alternative embodiment of the presentinvention, the dielectric layer can be fabricated from an additional drypressed green sheet. Instead of laminating the metallization layer witha tape cast layer 95 described with reference to FIG. 13 above, in thealternative embodiment of the present invention, the tape cast layer isreplaced with an additional dry pressed green sheet; the additional drypressed sheet representing the dielectric layer. Thus, in thisparticular embodiment, the laminated assembly comprises two outermostdry pressed layers having a thickness of about 6 mm and a centre drypressed layer sandwiched between the two outmost dry pressed layer andhaving a thickness of about 2.5 mm, i.e. the laminated assemblycomprises three dry pressed green sheets instead of the two dry pressedgreen sheets. In the cross-section of the fired part 68 shown in FIG. 9,the dielectric layer is thus referenced by the layer 86 above themetallization layer 78. Repeating the processing steps described abovewith reference to FIG. 13 but replacing the tape cast layer with anadditional dry pressed layer (see FIG. 14);

-   -   1. two dry pressed green sheets 91, 92 (e.g. each of        approximately 1 mm or 2.5 mm or 6 mm thickness) may have Mo        based paint (Wesgo®538 paint, thickness ˜25 μm) to define a        heater pattern 93 on one outer dry pressed green sheet 91 and an        electrostatic chuck pattern 4 on the other (central) dry pressed        green sheet 92. As discussed above, one of the dry pressed sheet        has a thickness d₁ of about 6 mm which shrinks to a thickness,        d₁′, of about 5 mm after firing and represents the outside sheet        91 or layer and another dry pressed sheet has a thickness d₂ of        about 2.5 mm which shrinks to a thickness, d₂′, of about 2 mm        after firing and represents the centre sheet 92.    -   2. The two layers of dry pressed green sheet may be aligned with        a further outer dry pressed green sheet 98 also having a        thickness d₄ of about 6 mm and will form the dielectric layer        95, i.e. the laminated assembly comprises two outer dry pressed        sheets 91, 98, each having a thickness d₁, d₄ of about 6 mm in        the green state and a centre dry sheet 92 having a thickness d₂        of about 2.5 mm in the green state. The heater pattern 93 lies        between the two dry pressed sheets 91, 92 and the electrostatic        chuck pattern 94 lies between the dry pressed green sheet 92 and        a further dry pressed green sheet 98; as discussed above        suitable holes or vias 96 in layers 91 and 92 can be provided        for subsequent forming of feedthroughs to the electrostatic        chuck pattern and heater pattern;    -   3. the assembly of the three layers of dry pressed green sheets        91, 92 and 98 can then be vacuum bagged together with a support        plate and laminated together using an isostatic press in the        same manner as described above.

After firing using the flat firing process discussed above, thelaminated assembly forms a monolithic-metal composite part (see FIG. 9).To achieve the required thinness and maintain the flatness of thedielectric layer so as to provide an adequate electrostatic force whencooperating with the underlying metallization layer 78 forming theelectrodes, after firing and densification of the assembly, the top drypressed sheet 98 is machined down to the required thickness d₃ tolerancesuitable to behave as a dielectric layer 95. In the particularembodiment, the top dry pressed layer 98 is machined down from adensified or fired thickness of about 5 mm (taking the green thicknessto be approximately 6 mm) to about 0.1 mm. For ease of explanation, thetop fired dry pressed layer shrinks from a thickness of d₄ to d₄′ (seeFIG. 14). Thus, the material removed (d₄′−d₃) from the top dry pressedlayer 98 during machining is shown in dashed lines. In reality, at leastone face of the densified monolithic-metal composite is machined down soas to provide an insulating ceramic layer of thickness approximately 0.1mm above the metallization layer 78 or the electrostatic chuck pattern(see FIG. 11). The top layer ceramic layer 98 can be machined down bygrinding but other machining processes known in the art to achieve suchtight thickness tolerances is permissible in the present invention. Inthe particular embodiment of the present invention, a two stage machineprocess is used to form the dielectric layer after densification; thefirst stage covers removing the bulk of the ceramic material to theapproximate thickness value, d₃ and the second machining stage gives afinal polishing stage. At the first stage of machining, one face of themonolithic composite is ground down to a required thickness using agrinding face comprising diamond grit, e.g. the diamond having aparticle size in the range of substantially 20 μm to 100 μm, to athickness of approximately 0.1 mm from the metallization layer 78 below.The required thickness of the dielectric layer can be substantially lessthan 1 mm or less than 0.5 mm or less than 0.25 mm, or less than 0.1 mm.In the particular embodiment, the thickness of the dielectric layer isapproximately 0.1 mm. The second stage of the machining process involvespolishing the ground surface to provide a mirror-like finish whilstmaintaining the flatness of the surface of the dielectric layer. In theparticular embodiment, the ground surface of the outer layer 98 thatrepresents the dielectric layer is polished using 1 μm-5 μm diamondpaste to a thickness tolerance of 0.01 mm, preferably 0.001 mm.

FIGS. 10 and 11 shows a top plan view showing the metallization layerextending parallel to the plane or planar surface of the dry pressedsheet and a cross-sectional view respectively along the line Y-Y of themachined down fired laminated part shown in FIG. 9. To demonstrate thethinness of the top dielectric ceramic layer, the underlyingmetallization layer representing the electrostatic chuck patternelectrodes 78 (see FIG. 9) becomes more visible externally from thesurface of the dielectric layer. In the cross section shown in FIG. 11,the electrostatic chuck comprises an insulating base 88, the topmetallization layer 78 forming the electrodes disposed on the insulatingbase 88 and a dielectric top layer 86 disposed between the insulatingbase 88 and the dielectric top layer 86.

The number of metalized dry pressed green sheets in the assembly dependsupon whether the assembly is purely used as an ESC or a combination ofan ESC together with a heater. For example, in the case where the ECS isused to retain the semiconductor wafer for cleaning purposes or etchingetc, no heater may be required and the metallization layer 76 thatrepresents the heater can simply be absent, i.e. the ESC comprises anelectrostatic electrode pattern 78 sandwiched between two dry pressedgreen sheets. Where the ESC is used in combination with a heater, thenthe number of metallization layers increases; one metallization layerprovides the electrodes 78 that cooperate with the dielectric layer 86to generate an electrostatic field for electrostatically clamping asubstrate (semiconductor wafer) in use and a further metallization layer76 is applied on another dry pressed green sheet to permit electricalheating. Different combinations of dry pressed green sheets andmetallization layers representing the electrostatic pattern and/orheater pattern and/or voids is/are permissible in the present invention,each combination depends on their particular application, e.g.electrostatic clamping purposes or a combination of electrostaticclamping and heating or cooling.

The present invention has the advantages of providing an HTCC processsuited for the manufacture of large objects, and does not require eitherhot pressing or the handling of delicate wire meshes [as does U.S. Pat.No. 6,225,606].

Further features, modifications and uses of the invention will beapparent to the skilled person desiring to make objects by hightemperature co-firing, and are encompassed within the scope of thisinvention.

1. A method of forming one or more high temperature co-fired ceramicarticles, comprising the steps of:— a) forming a plurality of greencompacts, by a process comprising dry pressing a powder comprisingceramic and organic binder to form a green compact; b) disposing aconductor or conductor precursor to at least one surface of at least oneof the plurality of green compacts to form at least one patterned greencompact; c) assembling the at least one patterned green compact with oneor more of the plurality of green compacts or patterned green compactsor both to form a laminated assembly; d) isostatically pressing thelaminated assembly to form a pressed laminated assembly; e) firing thepressed laminated assembly at a temperature sufficient to sinter theceramic layers together.
 2. The method as claimed in claim 1, whereinstep (b) comprises the step of applying a metallization layer to atleast one surface of at least one of the plurality of green compacts toform the at least one patterned green compact.
 3. The method as claimedin claim 1, in which:— step c) further comprises positioning one or moreshapes formed from a fugitive material between at least two of the greencompacts, whether either or both is patterned or not; subsequent to stepd) the fugitive material is removed to leave hollow channels within thearticle.
 4. A method of forming one or more high temperature co-firedceramic articles, comprising the steps of:— a) forming a plurality ofgreen compacts, by a process comprising dry pressing a powder comprisingceramic and organic binder to form a green compact; b) assembling the atleast one patterned green compact with one or more shapes formed from afugitive material disposed between at least two of the green compacts toform a laminated assembly; c) isostatically pressing the laminatedassembly to form a pressed laminated assembly; d) firing the pressedlaminated assembly at a temperature sufficient to sinter the ceramiclayers together subsequent to step d) removing the fugitive material toleave hollow channels within the article.
 5. The method as claimed inclaim 1, in which the articles have at least one orthogonal X and Ydimension greater than 200 mm and an orthogonal dimension Z less thanthe X and Y dimensions.
 6. The method as claimed in claim 1, in whichboth orthogonal X and Y dimension are greater than 200 mm.
 7. The methodas claimed in claim 1, in which the articles have an orthogonaldimension Z less than 10% of the longer of the X and Y dimension.
 8. Themethod as claimed in claim 1, in which the articles have an orthogonaldimension Z less than 10% of the shorter of the X and Y dimension. 9.The method as claimed in claim 1, which the powder further comprises aplasticizer.
 10. The method as claimed in claim 1, in which the powderfurther comprises a dispersant.
 11. The method as claimed in claim 1, inwhich the powder is a spray dried powder.
 12. The method as claimed inclaim 1, further comprises the step of assembling a second insulativeceramic material with the one or more of the plurality of green compactsor patterned green compacts or both such that the laminated assemblycomprises one or more of the plurality of green compacts or patternedgreen compacts or both with the second insulative ceramic material. 13.The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the second insulativematerial is a tape cast material or a green compact.
 14. The method asclaimed in claim 12, in which the second insulative material forms anoutermost layer of the laminated assembly.
 15. The method as claimed inclaim 12, in which the second insulative material has a thickness lessthan half that of any one of the plurality of green compacts orpatterned green compacts.
 16. The method as claimed in claim 1, in whichthe metallization is less than 50 μm thick.
 17. The method as claimed inclaim 1, in which the orthogonal X and Y dimensions are both 300 mm ormore.
 18. The method as claimed in claim 17, in which both orthogonal Xand Y dimensions are both 450 mm or more.
 19. The method as claimed inclaim 1, in which the one or more high temperature co-fired ceramicarticles are heaters.
 20. The method as claimed in claim 1, in which thehigh temperature co-fired ceramic article is an electrostatic chuckcomprising; an insulating base; a one or more electrically conductiveelectrodes disposed on said insulating base; and a dielectric top layer,having a top surface and an opposite bottom surface, such that saidelectrodes are disposed between said insulating base and said dielectrictop layer.
 21. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the one ormore of the plurality of green compacts or patterned green compactsdefines the insulating base and the second insulative ceramic materialdefines the dielectric layer.
 22. The method as claimed in claim 20,further comprising the step of machining the high temperature co-firedarticle such that the dielectric layer has a thickness of substantiallyless than 1 mm or less than 0.5 mm or less than 0.25 mm, or less than0.1 mm.
 23. A high temperature co-fired ceramic article formed by themethod of claim
 1. 24. A high temperature co-fired ceramic article haveat least one orthogonal X and Y dimension greater than 200 mm and anorthogonal dimension Z less than the X and Y dimensions, the hightemperature co-fired ceramic article comprising a continuousunperforated metal conductor embedded therein.
 25. A high temperatureco-fired ceramic article as claimed in claim 24, in which at least oneorthogonal X and Y dimension is 300 mm or more.
 26. An electrostaticchuck, comprising: an insulating base; one or more electricallyconductive electrodes disposed on said insulating base; a dielectric toplayer, having a top surface and an opposite bottom surface, such thatsaid electrodes are disposed between said insulating base and saiddielectric top layer; wherein the electrostatic chuck have at least oneorthogonal X and Y dimension greater than 200 mm and an orthogonaldimension Z less than the X and Y dimensions.
 27. The electrostaticchuck as claimed in claim 26, in which at least one orthogonal X and Ydimension is 300 mm or more.
 28. The electrostatic chuck as claimed inclaim 26, in which the insulating based comprises a heater.
 29. Theelectrostatic chuck as claimed in claim 28, in which one or moreelectrical conductors is/are embedded within the insulating base. 30.The electrostatic chuck as claimed in claim 26, in which the insulatingbase and/or the dielectric layer is a material selected from the groupconsisting of alumina, titania, zirconia, and alloys containing any ofthe foregoing.
 31. The electrostatic chuck as claimed in claim 26, inwhich the one or more electrical electrodes is material selected fromthe group consisting of platinum, palladium, gold, tungsten, molybdenum,niobium, tantalum, and alloys of any of the foregoing.
 32. Theelectrostatic chuck as claimed in claim 26, in which the electrostaticchuck is a co-fired monolithic ceramic-and-metal composite.
 33. Theelectrostatic chuck as claimed in claim 26, in which the dielectriclayer has a thickness of substantially less than 1 mm or less than 0.5mm or less than 0.25 mm, or less than 0.1 mm.
 34. A method of flatfiring an article comprising the steps of; a. supporting the article onan insulting setter having at least one substantially flat surface; b.mounting an insulating weight having at least one substantially flatsurface on the article such that the article lies between thesubstantially flat surface of the insulating setter and the insulatingweight.
 35. The method as claimed in claim 34, wherein said at least onesurface of the setter and/or weight is/are machined substantially flat.36. The method as claimed in claim 34, wherein in the setter and/or theweight comprises alumina.
 37. The method as claimed in claim 34, whereinthe article is a high temperature co-fired ceramic article as defined inany of the claims 23 to 25.